enchanting to meet you
by mointii
Summary: Lovino didn't want much in life. He was content with how things were. He lived with his brothers in an apartment above their tiny, slum Italian restaurant in NYC, helped and taught them what he knew in magic, and he made damn sure that they busted their asses in school. Juggling bills and taking care of his brothers was enough...right? {Rating will go up} {Witch/Werewolf/SN AU}
1. Cleansing Rain

The jars and small tupperware rested on the edge of the concrete balcony, just on the other side of the iron railing, under the lip of the roof to catch the steady stream of water. The rain was coming down in sheets, applauded occasionally by a clap of thunder and flashes of lightning. The sky over the city was dark and fluffy, like a favorite wool blanket, and obscured the rising sun. The city lights, however, continued to twinkle and the sounds of traffic below didn't cease their honking.

The wind from the storm was bitterly cold, whipping his hair and howling in his ears. Shivering, he clutched the edges of the quilt closer to his frame, hoping to shield his bones from the chill. If the containers hadn't been already half-way full of water, Lovino would've worried they would tip off the edge from the brutality.

Behind him, the screen door to the apartment slid open. Another gust of wind caught the scent of coffee and strong creamer, and before the other spoke, Lovino knew which of his brothers had joined him.

"Ve, Lovi, isn't it a bit early to be awake?" Feliciano hummed. The younger of the two approached him from behind, dropping his chin onto Lovino's shoulder to nuzzle into the blanket. This earned a stuttering huff, but there were no other objections. Besides, Lovino was enjoying the warmth of the coffee mug pressed against the small of his back.

"Of course it is, but one of us had to collect the rain."

"I could've done it before I went to class!"

"Hmph, no. The storm will let up by then. You know that lightning water is the best."

It was true. Even though water gathered from the rain was already great for cleansing, they were in need of rain water that held a stronger charge. The ferocity of thunderstorms transmitted powerful energies that could aid them during the most draining spells. Plus, in one of his grimoires (he can't remember which), it said that if hot sauce or crushed peppers were added to the rain, it would change the status to fire water. You never know when you need to cast a warding spell or unleash a curse on someone.

Chuckling, Feliciano pecked his cheek and cooed, "Aww, _fratello_ , you're such a good little witch~"

"Well, out of the three of us, you'd figured one of us ought to be, asshole."

"You're right, you're right~" Feli waved him off, taking a long sip from his mug. His hands were hidden deep within the sleeves of his coat, but even Lovino could see his fingernails tinting purple.

"Alright, I think they're ready to be brought inside. Are you ready?"

Nodding, Feliciano placed his mug on the windowsill and joined his side, lacing their fingers together. Lovino bowed his head, eyes fluttering shut, and he began to submerge himself into the world around him. He focused on the cabs honking at pedestrains underneath them; he concentrated on the white noise of conversations from the buildings neighboring theirs; he listened to the rain as it pattered off windows, overfilled the jars and tupperware, and beat off the roof of their restaurant. He could smell the exhaust of the vehicles, the damp earth of their potted plants, and the grounds of his brother's coffee. He felt the vibrations of the thunder, the shudderings of his brother's chilled body, and the bite of the wind as it lashed against his cheeks.

With a deep inhale, they exhaled as one:

" _Sacred Rain, you clean the Earth_

 _My mind, body, soul and hearth,_

 _Cleansing drops fall from above,_

 _Making way for wealth and love,_

 _From sorrow and suffering_ I am free,

 _As I will, it shall be_."


	2. Another Vargas Morning

"Marcello!" Lovino hollered, grunting as he struggled through the window. "Marcello, goddammit, are you up yet?"

He yanked the quilt up around his neck as another gust of wind cut through the window in spite. There was no response from his other brother, nor were there other sounds to prove he was awake. No stomping feet as he rushed around, no squeaking knobs of their shitty shower, no pitiful scramblings in their personal kitchen for breakfast.

The silence just angered the vein in Lovino's forehead.

"Ay, Lovi, it's s-so cold! Here, here! Take these so I can come in already!"

Huffing, Lovino took an armful of jars from Feliciano, making sure to wrap them within the quilt's grasp. He knew the rain water was cold and he'd be damned before he let the chilled glass touch his skin. Feliciano tucked the remaining tupperware in his embrace as he wiggled through the opening, all the while chattering his teeth.

"Y-you'd think _Nonno_ would've picked a st-state with a similar climate to home! I mean, don't get me wrong, _fratello_ , the snow is _e bellissima_ , b-but it's too _cold._ "

"Is that complaining I'm hearing? Coming from _you_?" Lovino teased. He made his way through their living room that held a pathetic TV and a threadbare sofa to their connected kitchen. Kicking aside a pair of Marcello's cleats, he set the jars on the rocky table. "I'll be sure to tell _Nonno_ how you really feel whenever the bastard decides to stop by again. The look on his face will be priceless. Also, make sure to close that damn window; it's bad enough the thermostat cuts out on us. The last thing we need is to let what little warmth we have in this hell hole outside."

"But that's not what I meant, _fratello_! Don't tell _Nonno_ any lies! I don't want him to be upset every time he visits!" Feli wailed as he yanked on the window frame.

The older brother rolled his eyes. "Sure, like that asshole ever gets upset. He's too happy-go-lucky for his own damned good."

Ignoring whatever else Feliciano continued to whine about, Lovino tossed the quilt onto the sofa and stormed off down the short hallway that branched from the living room. It only held two doors: one for the room Feliciano and Marcello shared and the other belonging to Lovino. He adopted the room after six months they had woken up with their grandfather and his clothes gone and that month's bills on their kitchen table.

They didn't see the man until another three months after their new arrangement, and Lovino had shunned him to the sofa.

The man had sobbed and begged and pleaded with his boys to understand that he was _just a young spirit trapped within an aging body_ and his destiny was to _live life to the fullest and free from any strings!_ Of course, Lovino continued to hold a grudge against the man, regardless to Feliciano's immediate forgiveness and Marcello's pitiful acceptance. After all, the man had saddled Lovino with his brothers, the restaurant and apartment, and the inevitable bills that came along with all three when said older brother had still been in his senior year of high school.

But that had been three years ago. Now he was managing the restaurant, the apartment, and the bills with his brothers. Feli was currently a first year in a community college, majoring in hedge witchcraft and minoring in fine arts. Marcello was just a sophomore in high school and struggling in just about every class, but he was the captain of his varsity soccer team and won every win the team had. All of this, unfortunately, had been with the help of Lovino. He stayed up late after closing the restaurant to help with Marcello's studying and spellwork. He guided Feliciano through all the college and scholarship applications. He would go out, suffering with a runny nose and flushed cheeks, in the lowest temperatures with his brothers to prepare Marcello for tournament games.

Sure, Lovino had sacrificed his dreams in pursuing his talent in flora magic and traveling, but he wasn't too heartbroken. He taught himself different spells to help around the house and concocted his own potions. He didn't need some old crone to tell him whenever he was doing something wrong anyways.

Maybe Marcello was picking up his rebellious streak from him.

Rolling his eyes, Lovino pushed the door to his brothers' room open and kicked a soccer ball out of his way. Sure enough, his youngest brother was sprawled out across his tiny bed, limbs hanging off and blankets kicked to the floor. A puddle of drool seeped out from under a marked cheek and his crinkled curl gave an occasional twitch.

Lovino seethed, snatching up the scattered dirty clothes on this particular half of the room and shoving them into an empty hamper, and stomped towards the bed. Grabbing a hairy ankle, he gave a sharp jerk.

"Hey, asshole! Last time I checked you haven't graduated yet, so I'm not sure why you're still fucking asleep. You have fifteen minutes to shower and get breakfast before you miss the fucking bus. _Get moving._ "

Marcello flung himself off the bed, startled by the sudden movement and the harsh wake-up call. Nodding furiously, he grabbed some clothes Lovino had missed from the floor and fled to the bathroom. The shower head could be heard sputtering to life and Lovino could make out the chirpy chuckling from Feliciano in the kitchen.

"Lovino, I'm heading to German! I'll be back around lunch for my shift, okay? Bye, Marcello~" Feli called. There was more clattering in the kitchen (most likely making a cup of coffee to go) before the front door opened and closed with his the second oldest brother's departure.

Shaking his head, Lovino proceeded to pick up the dirty laundry of his youngest brother, taking note of the scatter wrappers and water bottles that hid underneath. When Marcello got home from school, he was going to have a long and serious talk with the fucking kid. He didn't understand how one could basically eat off Feliciano's floor, but Marcello's looked like its own buffet.

Lovino continued to grumble to himself as he collected the trash in the room. He wasn't going to just let it sit in their all day while his brothers were at school and he was working the restaurant. It would just sit in the back of his mind and piss him off all day.

However, when he had finally stuffed the last wrapper in the trash, he noticed there was one area of Marcello's room that had remained spotless. His personal altar. Each of the brothers' altars were unique, beautiful and intricate in their own way, depicting their personal specialties. Marcello's contained tall, vibrant candles of red hues, symbolizing the fire element. A black iron bowl, clean of ashes, rested in the center of his chalk-drawn Pentacle, and was surrounded by incense bundles, jars of salt and bird bones, his own Athame (a birthday present from yours truly), and his personally crafted and chosen wand.

A warm blossom of pride began to bud in his chest, and Lovino closed their door, clothes hamper and trash bag in tow, with a small smile on his lips.


End file.
